Dawn arrived quietly.
The two pillars of light still rose into the sky.
West and East.
Balanced.
But at 08:17 AM, something changed.
A third pillar ignited.
Not near the river.
Not near either faction.
Northwest industrial rail yard.
Zhao Ren looked up immediately.
Threat Detection did not spike with hostility
But it sharpened.
Recognition.
Another Top 10 survivor had entered the region.
The system confirmed seconds later.
Chen Wei stepped into the operations room quickly.
"That wasn't here yesterday."
"No," Zhao Ren replied calmly.
"External arrival."
Which meant two possibilities:
Either migration from another district
Or territorial expansion from outside.
Neither was accidental.
Zhao Ren moved to the wall map.
The rail yard was wide.
Open.
Difficult to fortify quickly.
If someone activated a marker there
They were either extremely confident
Or extremely mobile.
Threat Detection pulsed faintly again.
Not from within.
From distance.
A high-intensity presence.
Level 4 or above.
Unknown talent.
Stable rhythm.
Not chaotic.
Chen Wei crossed his arms.
"If they push south, they hit us first."
"Yes."
"And if they push east?"
"They force Han Qian to react."
Which meant
The balance between West and East had shifted.
A third force disrupted symmetry.
Zhao Ren did not mobilize immediately.
That would signal anxiety.
Instead, he sent two scouts toward high rooftops with visual access.
"No engagement," he instructed.
"Report only."
Stability required restraint.
Within thirty minutes, a report returned.
Single individual visible.
No visible large faction.
Minimal movement.
Standing near rail control tower.
Not patrolling.
Not expanding aggressively.
Waiting.
Interesting.
Zhao Ren closed his eyes briefly.
Threat Detection reached its maximum range.
The third marker's presence felt different.
Not probing.
Not consolidating.
Not defensive.
Focused.
As if testing reaction speed.
Testing territory response.
Chen Wei spoke quietly.
"They want acknowledgment."
"Yes."
If ignored
They would escalate.
If confronted recklessly
Resources would drain.
Balance required calibration.
Zhao Ren made a decision.
"Maintain perimeter."
"Do not approach."
"Do not signal."
Chen Wei studied him.
"You're forcing them to move first."
"Yes."
Movement reveals pattern.
Pattern reveals weakness.
At midday, the eastern marker shifted slightly.
Not location.
Energy.
Han Qian had noticed.
Of course he had.
For the first time since the Trial began
Three apex signatures occupied the same district.
Unstable triangle.
Any direct conflict would weaken two sides and empower the third.
Which meant
The most disciplined survivor would control timing.
Zhao Ren stepped to the window overlooking the bridge.
Three pillars visible now across the skyline.
West.
East.
Northwest.
The city no longer felt divided in two.
It felt measured.
Evaluated.
Preparing.
Grave Sovereign progress: 53 / 100.
Residual Extraction steady.
No urgency.
No panic.
Twenty-one hours until Phase 2 convergence.
And now
Three predators shared the same ground.
Only one mistake was required
For the balance to collapse.
Zhao Ren turned back toward the map.
"Reinforce north perimeter quietly," he said.
"No visible overreaction."
Control.
Consistency.
No sudden escalation.
The Trial was tightening again.
And this time
The pressure came from all sides.